By Billy Davis

Three juveniles are in custody and facing charges for allegedly burglarizing six businesses and a residence, all in Batesville.

The arrests made last Friday ended a six-month string of burglaries, said BPD Detective George Williford.

Two of the juveniles are 15 and one is 14, he said.

“We plan to prosecute them as adults,” Williford said.

The juveniles are charged with break-ins at the Mi Pueblo and Café Ole restaurants, C & E Café, Corner Store (formerly Crowson’s), and an attempted burglary at Flint’s Hardware. The home burglary was on Garson Street, said the detective.

The commercial burglaries followed the same smash-and-grab pattern — breaking a window to gain entry.
Williford credited a “concerned citizen” for recognizing one of the juveniles from surveillance footage of the Mi Pueblo break-in that was posted on The Panolian’s Web site.

The footage showed a black male snatching a cash register drawer from inside the restaurant while a second black male ate candy.

A burglary at a Mr. Jiffy store that occurred hours after the Mi Pueblo break-in is still under investigation, Williford said.